


A Place to Belong

by Kalorii



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-22
Updated: 2013-11-22
Packaged: 2018-01-02 07:48:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1054275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalorii/pseuds/Kalorii
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One year after Jack Frost took the Guardian’s oath, he prepares himself to say farewell to his new believers for another year as spring takes over. His fellow Guardians have other plans to make the day one to remember yet again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Place to Belong

A year. That's how long it'd been since his life - or was it afterlife? - had changed.

Jack Frost had perched on a tree's branch, watching the world below him with a slight smile. His days of snowballs and fun times were soon to be over despite the kids' protesting. He didn't have the power to hold back spring no matter how much frost he'd spread on a cool morning. Eventually the warmth would cause him to retreat north where he'd wait for winter to grip the northern hemisphere again.

Things had changed yet there were things that had stayed the same. While he could still sit in plain sight of some children, others managed to find it within them to believe in him. While Jack had wanted this for three-hundred years, it sometimes felt overwhelming to know that he could be seen or heard at any moment.

Movement in the corner of his eye made the young Guardian look over, a light grin appearing on his face. It was a young girl, one he was sure he remembered from a day ago when her sister had joined in on a snowball fight. Her hand was waving frantically, a motion ignored by her mother who was talking with someone. Jack raised a hand and waved back. It was going to get harder to say goodbye for a whole year now that he made friends with these children.

Sighing softly, the winter spirit let the wind carry him and he drifted over his young friend. "I'll see you next winter," he said with a wink. The little girl made a small noise of disappointment.

"Jack, stay!" she said, stamping her foot. Her lower lip stuck out and she folded her arms over her chest.

"Hey, you like flowers and playing in the summer, right?" The girl nodded and Jack laughed gently. "I'll be back again, don't worry. Winter's over but we'll have fun again then."

It was a quick movement but one that he was getting used to. The young girl embraced him quickly then went to hold to her mother's hand again. She giggled and waved once more, clearly placated by the fact that they'd be reunited again soon. "Bye bye, Jack."

Taking that as his cue, the young Guardian leapt up and let the wind take him a bit further away in the town. Just as he alighted on a rooftop, he let his staff hit the shingles and watched as branches of frost spread out. His heart was light even though it was hard to tell all the children that his kind of fun would be put on hold for a few months. It just got too warm for him and, while it'd be more than fun to do, a snowball fight in the height of summer would be difficult. Especially if he was sweating buckets in the summer heat.

Still, he refused to believe that this was worse than he'd had it only a year ago. He had people who wanted him around! It was more than he could have ever asked for. Even more, he had real friends, not just among the kids but also the other Guardians.

Life was better than ever and Jack still felt like he could just whoop it to every corner of the world.

As he took in a small breath and then exhaled slowly to look out over the town, his cheerful mood dropped like a rock. A shadowy figure quickly ran out of sight, rounding a corner only two houses over from where Jack now stood. Instantly he was on alert, narrowing his eyes as he ran off the roof and let the wind carry him quickly to where he'd seen the shadow.

Many thoughts ran through his mind, most of all the thought that it was too soon for Pitch to return. There was no way that he could ever regroup that quickly, not after the thorough thrashing he'd taken from the Guardians only a year ago.

Landing without making much of a sound at all on the small paved lot behind a building, Jack brandished his staff, keeping it at the ready. A sound came from behind him and he wheeled around - coming face-to-face with Bunnymund.

"Bunny?"

It was all Jack could get out before he saw the grin and heard the now-familiar thump of the other Guardian's foot hitting the ground in rapid succession. Sure enough, the world opened up beneath Jack and he felt himself falling without much of a chance to regain his footing. All he could do was hold onto his staff and follow the path to wherever it may lead.

Landing hard on the ground, Jack felt a tug on his hoodie and he was jerked upward and dropped unceremoniously on the floor.

"There he is!"

Shaking his head to gather himself, the young Guardian looked up at the words he'd heard only a year ago. It was like things were playing out like they had before to some degree. The other Guardians were all lined up as they had been that fateful day, grinning down at their newest member.

Finally Jack let out a soft laugh, pulling himself to his feet and kicking his staff up to his hand. "Can't you guys just ask me to come here like normal people?"

Bunny rolled his eyes, still looking much less disgruntled than he had the first time. Instead a grin was on his face and he shrugged a little. "What would be the fun in that, mate? Not every day I get to watch you fallin' like a rock through the tunnels."

While the winter spirit mock-threatened with his staff, Tooth darted over right in front of Jack's face. He very nearly fell over until he caught himself, laughing gently. She was beaming brightly, her eyes alight with obvious excitement which was reflected in the little fairies which flitted about her.

"It's an important day, Jack!" she said, moving swiftly to go behind him and started pushing him away from the fireplace.

North had already moved to a spot that was farther away, standing a short distance away from the globe's control console. "Tooth is right. We have something for you."

Confused, Jack looked around, noticing that his fellow Guardians were standing in specific places now. Tooth had directed him to stand between Sandy and Bunny, all of them now in a pattern that only they were aware of. Eventually he shrugged then leaned on his staff while he waited for it. Inwardly he was excited. That they would get him a gift and even remember the day that he'd joined their ranks was both a relief and touching.

"You guys didn't have to get me anything," he said, waving a hand dismissively.

He hesitated, not wanting to get overly emotional but, at the same time, wanting to express his gratitude. The young Guardian shifted uncomfortably, not exactly sure how to proceed. It wasn't just about pride or even his reputation, it was a lack of social skills. Jack had started to realise that he didn't know how to talk with people any longer. Three-hundred years of being unseen and ignored would do that to anyone.

Looking around at the other Guardians again, he saw that they were simply smiling at him. Even Bunny had that odd little smile, the same one he'd worn when Jack had taken the Guardian's oath. They were encouraging him, supporting their youngest member without saying a single word. Jack knew he didn't really _have_ to say anything; they already knew that he was happier now than he was when they first met.

Jack swallowed hard then cleared his throat. "If you're waiting for me to say something meaningful, you'll have to keep waiting," he said with a light laugh.

North made them all jump as he clapped loudly. "Let us get business down."

All of the Guardians shifted where they stood, Jack following suit. He was still curious as to why there were standing _here_ specifically but he knew that he'd find out in due time.

"Always have to have the pretty paper on things, don't ya?" Bunny muttered, aiming his gaze downward.

Blue eyes darted down to see that there was a large circle of what appeared to be christmas wrapping sitting there. It was complete with a red ribbon which only made Jack laugh a little more. How anyone could wrap something on the floor was beyond him but this _was_ North they were talking about, he supposed. North could probably find enough wrapping paper for the world if someone challenged him.

A loud whistle pierced the air and a fleet of elves came in. While some were tearing at the paper, others started to fold the rest of it neatly, slowly starting to reveal what was underneath.

While Jack wasn't always observant of his surroundings, he remembered this area now. It was supposedly where the Man in the Moon would speak with the Guardians. It had been a circle with four points representing the then-four Guardians, their symbols indicating where they would stand.

Now, as it was revealed, he could see the obvious change. His eyes got wider as he saw that there were now five points instead of four. At his feet was his point, his own symbol with a simple silhouette sitting within a hexagon. It was very obvious that this sealed his position as the Guardian of Fun, not only with the others but also with the Man in the Moon.

"You like it?"

That was such a simple question but there was so much anticipation behind it. North wanted to hear it, to know that this "small" token made the young Guardian happy.

"Happy" probably wasn't the correct word for it. Really, he was taken aback by it. He didn't know how to react. Part of him wanted to leap up and holler while another part felt like breaking down in tears.

"Jack?"

Tooth's gentle voice broke through the winter spirit's thoughts. He saw that they were all looking at him with a mixture of expectation and concern.

"I-I do," Jack finally replied, his voice cracking and making him cough. "I mean, it's..." He trailed off and looked down at it again, reaching out tentatively with one of his feet to let it brush over the fine woodworking. "You really did this for me?"

Clearly the others weren't aware of how much this would affect him. North was the one who crossed the distance and pulled Jack into a tight embrace until the young Guardian laughed and begged to be let go. Once he was on his feet again, he felt a bit more balanced as he looked at the faces that surrounded him.

"Thanks. I mean it," he added, looking at Bunny who merely smirked. Shifting his staff to his shoulder, a familiar motion which relaxed him, Jack moved to step on the place that marked his place. "This means a lot to me. I wish I could take it with me but I guess I can let you keep it here."

With a booming laugh, North motioned with his hands and suddenly the workshop was filled with the music that had been so rudely interrupted a year ago. This time there were no interruptions and Jack gladly joined in on the festivities which continued for far longer than he expected they would.

To anyone else, such a simple gift might mean nothing. To Jack Frost, it gave him the one thing he'd missed the most.

A place he belonged.

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, I should have thought about writing a fic for RotG's anniversary a lot sooner than I did. In the end, I hope that this is something worthy of the fandom that has made me feel more welcome than any other.
> 
> I'd like to take this time to thank the entire fandom. I've met so many wonderful people and made such fantastic friends. You guys are the ones that keep me writing and make me feel like it's something worthwhile. Here's to a great year with an amazing fandom.


End file.
